National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba @ Proctors 10/26/12

SCHENECTADY – It was a good show and a night to remember. The National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba took the stage of Proctors and garnered an enthusiastic crowd that included Schenectady Mayor Gary R. McCarthy. He read a lengthy proclamation declaring it Cuba Day (or something like that) in the city.

The celebration and exchange of cultures started with the first note, an unexpected performance of “The Star Spangled Banner,” followed by the Cuban national anthem, “El Himno de Bayamo.”

Next came Gershwin, an American who knew his way around Latin and Caribbean styles. Percussion was the dominant sound in his “Cuban Overture,” which was followed by “Rhapsody in Blue.” The piano soloist was the impressive Nachito Herrera, a Cuban native who currently lives in Minneapolis. His approach to the “Rhapsody” was highly individual, going all over the place from fragmented and choppy to lyric and sweeping. In three different passages he had the orchestra players add finger snaps. If nothing else, the performance proved that the beloved “Rhapsody” is still a living work, no masterpiece set in stone.

The big work on the concert’s second half was Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Maybe the players wanted to prove their mettle, which they largely did. Yet the symphony’s emphasis on forceful rhythms somehow tied in with the rest of the program’s more danceable beats. There was also an appealing warmth and body to the playing that was missing during the more raucous numbers. That was probably the fault of the hall, with a huge stage that sucks up much of the sound before it can hit the auditorium.

Throughout the night encores by Cuban composers were almost as plentiful as the standing ovations. There was “Medico de Pianos,” by Jorge Lopez Marin, and an elaborate arrangement of the guaguancó by Guido López Gavilán, who was one of the conductors. Each of these gave ample space for Herrera’s showmanship but the percussion section was also kept plenty busy. It was impossible to sit completely still in your seat during such vibrant displays.

The other conductor on hand was the orchestra’s music director Enrique Pérez Mesa. An elegant but surprisingly restrained treatment of Lecuona’s “La Camparsa” featured piano soloist Vilma Garriga Cornas, but the arrangement was by Herrera.

The final encore of the night was an imaginative and muscular improvisation from Herrera. Though the crowd kept wanting more, the musicians reluctantly withdrew from the stage, doubtlessly headed on to another night of celebration in some other fortunate city.

Joseph Dalton is a freelance writer in Troy and can be reached at Dalton@HudsonSounds.org.

MUSIC REVIEW

National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba

with Nachito Herrera, piano

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Where: Proctors Theater, Schenectady

Duration: Two hours, 15 minutes with one intermission

The crowd: Not full but lively, with many enthusiastic newcomers to classical music